Register for and Maximize Your Extras at Choice Hotels

The Choice Hotels brand is undervalued and underappreciated in
the points and miles community — even landing in the first spot
on TPG‘s list of
The Most Undervalued Hotel Loyalty Programs. Although I’ve
gotten great value from Choice points in locations ranging from
New York City to Japan to Munich during
Oktoberfest, I only recently learned about one aspect of the
Choice Privileges program: Your Extras. Today I’ll go through how
to maximize this perk for your next stay.

What is Your Extras?

Your Extras gives you something extra each time you check in on
a point-eligible stay that includes a Sunday, Monday, Tuesday,
Wednesday or Thursday night. You must opt into this program
(directions are provided below) and select which Extra you want to
receive, which can be done on the Choice website or app prior to
check-in.

You can only earn one Your Extra per qualifying point-eligible
stay, regardless of number of rooms, nights, check-ins and
checkouts. In particular, checking out of a hotel only to check
back into the hotel later that day won’t allow you to earn an
additional Extra.

What Extras Can I Choose?

Your Extra options depend on your country of residence. If
you’re a US resident, you can choose to earn one of the
following:

And, if you aren’t a US or Canadian resident, you can choose
one of the following:

400 Choice Privileges points

100 airline miles with participating carriers

Fuel Rewards savings, Amazon credit, Uber trip discount and
Starbucks coffee cards will be sent to your inbox immediately after
check-in. Choice Privileges points will post to your account within
72 hours of check-out and airline miles will post within four to
six weeks of checkout.

*These Extras aren’t available at some Choice properties. If
you’ve selected one of these Extras for a stay and the hotel
doesn’t offer that type of Extra, you can contact Choice Guest
Services at 888-770-6800 to instead earn Choice points or airline
miles for that stay.

TPG’s valuations don’t include AeroMexico, Air New Zealand,
Czech Airlines, Qantas or Virgin Australia miles. So, although you
can earn Your Extras toward these airlines, they aren’t included
in the above table.

How Do I Register For Your Extras?

Even if you don’t have any weeknight Choice stays planned, you
should go ahead and opt into Your Extras so you don’t forget
before your next stay. Here’s how to do this:

Log in to your Choice account, click your name in the upper
right-hand corner and click on “My Account.”

On the right-hand side of the page, click on “Update
Profile.”

Scroll down to the “Your Extras Preferences” section and
click “Edit.”

Select the Extra you want to earn and click the “Save
Changes” button.

Note that you must have your earning preference set to Choice
Privileges points in your online account to participate in Your
Extras, even if you want to earn airline miles as your Extra
reward. So if you’ve set your earning preference to
earn airline miles or Amtrak
Guest Rewards, you won’t receive a Your Extras reward.

Here’s how to set your earning preference to Choice Privileges
points:

Log in to your account, click your name in the upper right-hand
corner and click on “My Account.”

On the right-hand side of the page, click on “Update
Profile.”

Scroll down to the “Manage Loyalty Programs” section. If
“Loyalty Program” doesn’t say “Choice Privileges” click
“Edit” and click the circle next to “Choice Privileges”
before clicking the “Save Changes” button.

Bottom Line

If you have a Choice Privileges account, there’s no reason not
to register for Your Extras. Although earning Starbucks coffee
cards or Fuel Rewards will provide the best monetary value for most
guests, not all properties offer these as an Extra. As a result,
you’ll need to remember to contact guest services when a property
doesn’t provide your first choice.

Since
I’m constantly on the road and don’t
drive much, I’ve chosen to instead set my Extra preference to
Choice Privileges points so I know I’m guaranteed to earn an
Extra on every weeknight stay without any additional effort or
thought. Whatever Extra you choose probably won’t significantly
change your travel habits, but it’s certainly worth spending a
minute or two to opt in.